PROFILE: Ed Matthews reviews Warren Ellis.
by Ed Matthews

So, Christopher Butcher asked me to do a piece for him here at PopImage. I thought, sure! Why not... but what could I possibly contribute to this Warren Ellis love-in? At first, I thought a review would be keen, but Chris was covered on that front. Then it dawned on me: I'll review Warren Ellis!

Warren Ellis: October Revolution American Tour NYC Sep 2000
Warren Ellis, $Variable US/$Commute to NYC CAN

Writer: Warren Ellis
Signer: Warren Ellis
Hosts: Various
Crowd: 50% Warren Ellis Forum folks
Colorist: Still Laura DePuy
Editor: Warren Ellis

Review by: Ed Mathews

Synopsis:
Warren Ellis takes a trip across the Atlantic to heal his worshipers at various pit stops through his charm and charisma. Oh, and possible animation deals. Wacky hi-jinks ensue.

Review:
Warren Ellis kicked off his US tour in New York City, home to the Mets and the Yankees and a bunch of fans lined up for hours to see their Comic Book Messiah. How did this stranger from a strange land fare? Oh, he was the most charming Viking since Hagar the Horrible. Ok, maybe he wasn't a Viking, but he certainly was affable. The line at Jim Hanley's Universe in NYC was quite large, winding around all the comic racks and Ellis still took the time to talk to each of his fans while signing. Oh, sure, he bit the head off of a few of them, but that's to be expected, really. Ok, he didn't actually bite the head off of anyone. Fine. He did have a Pikachu hovering over his right shoulder though, and that should count for some form of fan abuse.

But this was not where Ellis flexed his muscles. Just after the signing, there was a drawing to be one of 30 lucky people to be sitting in a room for a Q&A session with Mr. Ellis. The gods of fortune and journalism smiled upon me that day. This was a raffle for fans and the press alike. (Note to self: bring 7 Slush staffers to every Ellis function.) Anyway, surrounded by a friendly crowd, Chris Cross, and Mark Waid, Warren Ellis was in his element. He was crowd control. Charisma oozed from him like a Beatle at a press conference. In many ways, he was several of the Beatles: he had Paul's charm and John's ability to say whatever was on his mind, consequences be damned. And he was in control. He even had me under his spell. He talked about new media; he talked about the industry; he talked about Marvel and answered people's questions in a fair manner. A pleasant time was guaranteed for all.

Topics ranged from when some books were going to end, what other media he was exploring, and the US Presidential race (which, admittedly looks to be about as exciting as watching grass grow this year).

The fact that he was about to do this 6 times mattered not (until he got to the sixth stop, I'd imagine... it was a fairly tight schedule...). After all he did the tour out of love for his fans. The possible animation deals and other negotiations along the way were really a side element. Ok, MAYBE that was an added incentive and gave Ellis an extra super-duper reason to come back to the US for a bit.

Regardless of motive, Ellis handled himself like a champ.

Art:
The tour book had extra sketches of Ellis characters exclusive to the book. Keen. The t-shirt design was also extra-special with its USSR design.

Conclusion:
Warren Ellis is a force to be reckoned with. Also, very few people could make him look short. That distinction belongs to the likes of Chris Cross. Man, that guy is tall. Anyway, remember to put your charm dampers on when he enters the room or he'll put you under his spell. 4.5/5 slush... er, Poppies. Yeah. That's the ticket.

Ed Mathews is a graduate of Saint Peter's College, The Jesuit College of New Jersey, with a BA in Political Science with minors in Communications (Film focus) and Honors. He ran the college newspaper for a year, and was a paid photographer for a time.

Ed is also a graduate of NYU with a Master of Arts in Politics. Ed has reviewed for The Kryptonian-Cybernet, gayleague.com, and is currently Associate Editor of The Slush Factory.

All photos in this piece are courtesy of Ed Matthews and The Slush Factory.

www.warrenellis.com - Warren Ellis' homepage, filled with biographical, bibliographical, and other interesting inormation.
www.delphi.com/ellis - The Warren Ellis Forum, a place for fans, readers, and critics of Warren's work to discuss current events..
www.slushfactory.com - The Slush Factory. Comics review and discussion.
www.delphi.com/popimage - The PopImage Forum. Discuss this article there.
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